When I became a police chaplain almost 25 years ago, I thought all
I had to do was grab my Bible, flashlight, and cap before hopping into
the seat of a police cruiser. I had visions of riding along with
officers who would be open about their problems, want to talk about
issues, and thank me for being there for them. Boy was I wrong.

Officers thought I was a pipeline back to the chief and that all I
wanted to do was see them converted and singing in my church choir.
Thankfully, we were both wrong.

Today, after retiring from over two decades on the job as a law
enforcement chaplain and counselor, I can truthfully say that what I
have learned can save you years of grief in trying to understand cops.

Law enforcement is a subculture all its own. If I had known that,
I'd have saved myself a lot of grief. By the same token, however, I
wouldn't have learned these important lessons to share with
chaplains and counselors who want to be effective with our men and women
in blue.

I stumbled along for five years attempting to learn what makes
policemen and women tick, along with the nuances of the job. I
determined that there is a "blue circle," or "blue
line," as some officers call it. You could also call it a yellow
line, which refers to yellow and black crime scene tape. Civilians are
on the outside of the tape, and officers are on the inside. It is a
clear line of demarcation. Officers, civilian crime scene investigators,
communications operators, unit secretaries, and clean up crews are
allowed inside the tape. Everyone else, including the media, is on the
outside. One recent addition to the group allowed inside that blue
circle or yellow line is police chaplains.

There is an additional group of "holy of holies," so to
speak. It is a small core inside the infamous blue circle, and only cops
are allowed inside that club. Try as they might to get in, it is a place
where non-sworn personnel are excluded.

While law enforcement chaplains who have earned their stripes are
able to function and apply their wares inside the blue circle, as well
as across the yellow tape, they aren't usually allowed into the
core. That omission creates a void of chaplaincy services when they are
needed the most.

To combat that issue, some chaplains choose to enter the law
enforcement academy and become commissioned officers. That makes them a
bigger part of the brotherhood of the badge. It also allows them inside
that core where the real business is done--the inner circle where cops
only talk to other cops.

After five years on the streets as a chaplain, I started the law
enforcement academy and went to night school with cadets twice my size
and half my age. I graduated second in my class, had a fairly good
showing on the pistol range, and obtained my Texas Peace Officer's
license by passing the exam on the first try.

This maneuver paid off when my department's SWAT team was
involved in an incident where two officers were shot and a suspect was
neutralized.

Our department had several chaplains, but I was the only
commissioned officer. The SWAT team members opened up to me before other
chaplains because of the brotherhood of the badge. I carried a Bible in
my hip pocket, but I also carried a gun and had trained as one of the
team negotiators. I'm not saying all chaplains need or should go
through the police academy, but it does help. The chaplains learn the
lingo and the pecking order within departments and agencies by
completing the academy.

While I'm speaking from a chaplain's point of view, the
same can be said for psychologists, counselors, or anyone else whose
career intersects with law enforcement and who wants to be more
effective with those they serve.

Admittedly, while it is often more difficult for these
practitioners to take the time to go through an academy, it is easy
enough to learn about the law enforcement subculture. This opens the
line of communication and makes it much more likely that an officer will
benefit from his or her encounter with the service provider.

In looking at the law enforcement subculture, we find the lingo
sprinkled with 10-codes, cop jargon, acronyms, facial expressions, and
body language.

Those in the mental health field might find it interesting that the
first level of force on the law enforcement continuum-of-force scale is
command presents. It is how the of ricer is dressed, and the demeanor
displayed through voice and body language. The next level up the scale
is verbal commands, and then empty-hand combat.

Type A personality types are naturally drawn to law enforcement.
They need to be in control, are aggressive, and never let them see you
sweat. There are certainly Type B personalities in law enforcement, but
the bulk of the manpower has Type A traits.

Type A personalities are the hardest to counsel, in my opinion, and
this comes largely from the need to be in control. Officers are taught
in the academy to take charge, be in command, and show no emotion. A
show of emotion can be a sign of loss of control. It can be perceived as
weakness by other officers leading to the reputation that the officer
won't be there to back you up when needed.

Members of law enforcement have a fear of appearing weak, needy, or
unable to stand the heat. These are key reasons they resist counseling
even when it's needed. There is a stigma attached to seeing a
mental health provider of any kind.

It is somewhat easier for a chaplain to function once the officers
have accepted him, or once he has paid his dues. Chaplains pay their
dues by riding with officers on patrol, attending briefings at all
hours, and being readily responsive when called. If a chaplain
won't respond when needed he looses credibility among officers and
civilian employees.

A mental health provider can bond with officers, but it takes time.
One of the best ways to gain credibility and the confidence of the
department or agency personnel is to become a consultant to the Crisis
and Hostage Negotiation Team. Another way is to teach a course or
seminar on responding to calls for deranged individuals.

A number of states have created a mental health deputy or officer
program. These men and women are trained in responding to and defusing
mentally ill individuals. Not all officers in these states receive the
certification training so the door is open for mental health providers
to train them to deal with this population in layman's language.

Police officers, deputies, and other law enforcement officials must
go through some mental health screening at the beginning of their
careers. One of the most popular screening tools is the Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventor (MMPI) personality test. After scoring,
the test is accompanied by an interview with a psychologist or
psychiatrist.

Sometimes officers have negative contacts with mental health
professionals. This might be part of a fit-for-duty interview or
evaluation. Normally these interviews are ordered by an agency following
a complaint that an officer may have used excessive force or that the
officer has personal involvement with alcohol or drug use. These
encounters are often adversarial because the officer is at risk of
losing his or her gun and being saddled with a desk job if they are
deemed no longer able to work the streets. Cops refer to it as being
assigned to the "Rubber Gun Squad."

Mental health providers need to choose which side of the street
they are going to work. They are either involved directly with the
agency as a consultant or trainer, or they take on a more adversarial
role of conducting fit-for-duty evaluations. Any agency worth their salt
will not use the same mental health provider for both. Officers will not
trust someone who just recommended taking another officer's firearm
away as a consultant.

Mental health professionals can be involved in critical incident
debriefings and have the responsibility of talking an officer through a
hard event like a line-of-duty shooting. This function is different than
deciding if an officer is fit for duty. There is one caveat: following
an interview, a mental health professional may recommend that an officer
involved in a shooting take a few days off to clear his or her head.
That is different than assessing whether or not the officer should keep
his or her job.

The best way to learn about cops is to be among them. This takes an
investment of your time, but it's worth it if you want to cultivate
the trust of officers and civilian employees of the agency.

Some psychologists and counselors contribute their time to our men
and women in blue. They consider it an investment in their practice and
the community that can reap indirect benefits. Mental health
professionals also work with the families of officers and department
civilian employees. Other counselors and therapists will enter into an
arrangement where they are on call to a department or agency and bill by
the hour. Some larger agencies, especially state and federal agencies,
may hire chaplains and mental health professionals as full- time
employees.

Most of what I have addressed is applicable to both chaplains and
mental health professionals. Certainly there are some differences that
apply, but one similarity is that the officers often have a natural
distrust of chaplains and other mental health professionals, at least
initially. With an investment of time and a willingness to learn,
chaplains and other mental health practitioners can navigate the
interesting law enforcement subculture. Eventually, they will build a
grateful alliance and lifelong friends in the process.

By David J. Fair, PhD, CHS-IV, ACMC-III

David J. Fair, PhD, CHS-IV, ACMC-III holds a PhD in pastoral
counseling and psychology from Bethel Bible College and Seminary.

Chaplain Fair is president of the American Association of Police
Officers and CEO of Homeland Crisis Institute. He is certified in
Homeland Security Level Four (CHS-IV) and Certified by the Academy of
Certified Chaplains Level Three (ACMC-III). As a member of the Academy
of Certified Chaplains Advisory Board, he also serves on the curriculum
committee of the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security
as well as the Editorial Advisory Board for Inside Homeland Security[R].

Chaplain Fair serves the Texas Department of Public Safety and
Texas Military Forces, TXSG-HQ. He is a reserve deputy/chaplain for the
Brown County Sheriff's Department and chaplain emeritus of the
Brownwood Police Department. He retired as a chaplain for Brownwood
Regional Medical Center after 25 years of service. Fair serves on the
Scientific and Professional Advisory Board of the Center for Crisis
Management/American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and is board
certified as a crisis chaplain and in forensic traumatology. He is also
a member of the American Psychotherapy Association and the head of the
Chaplain Board.